Environmental change, land use and water quality in Scotland: current issues and future prospects

An outline of both the scientific and management needs facing the future water quality issues of Scotland is discussed. The scientific needs are considered in terms of monitoring to increase the understanding of hydrochemical processes, issues of scaling, and the need for improved modelling under changing environmental processes. In terms of the management needs, the requirements highlighted relate to improving the ecological quality of Scottish rivers and the implementation of integrated river basin management plans.     

建设用地在土地利用中的发展趋势

对建设用地、土地利用的概念进行阐述,分析建设用地在土地利用中的变化趋势,结合西安市土地利用情况,研究其变化,说明其对生态环境的影响,指出西安市土地利用方式应从生态环境保护角度出发,促进其迈入节约型和环境友好型发展轨道。     

郑州市土地利用与用地布局优化研究

针对郑州市的土地利用现状，分析了土地利用中存在的问题，提出优化用地布局的建议和对策，从而积极有效的缓解郑州市土地资源供需紧张的状况，促进社会经济的快速发展。     

Settlement models, land use and visibility in rural landscapes: Two case studies in Greece

Settlement models and geographical site analysis contribute to the understanding of the ecological functioning of the landscape. In assessing land qualities, there is an increasing interest to include visibility analysis. The hypothesis is that settlements traditionally locate on places where the more fertile and intensively used grounds can easily be controlled. This can be tested in traditional landscapes where the initial settlement pattern and associated visibility are not very disturbed. This paper analyses two cases of traditional settlements in Greece, on the island of Paros (Cyclades) and on the Lassithi plain (Crete), which are exemplary for two distinct settlement models, respectively the island and the basin model. The relationship between settlement pattern, land use zoning and landscape visibility is analysed using a geographical information system (GIS). Cumulative and single viewshed analysis are performed for all settlements in the study areas using different distance zones, one in the visible proximity up to 1.2 km and one more extended in the landscape up to 4.7 km. Both cases show great degree of visual control of the territory. Intensively used land is significantly more visible. The relationship between visibility and land use varies however with the viewing distance and settlement model. Visibility is a factor explaining the settlement pattern.     

Dissolved silicon in a North Wales catchment of high relief

Concentrations of dissolved silicon and nitrogen in the Afon Anafon, a river draining the mountainous region of North Wales, were monitored over an annual cycle. As a result of the high relief the silicon concentration in the baseflow was diluted by surface flow and interflow. This led to low silicon concentrations in the river water (maximum 1540 μg l^?1, minimum < 100 μg l^?1) an inverse relationship between silicon concentration and discharge and a low removal rate of silicon by dissolution from the catchment (0.07 mg SiO₂ cm^?2 yr^?1). Nitrate concentrations, in contrast, showed a typical seasonal variation and were less affected by variations in the discharge.     

The difficulty of integrating land trusts in land use planning

We examine land-owning organizations’ choice of strategy for steering spatial development. There are two highly visible strategies to influence land use. The first one, acquisition, is direct; it consists of either gaining outright ownership of the land, or various forms of partial title, including conservation easements. The second one, regulation, is indirect; it relies on the legal instruments of public policy, in particular land use planning, to influence the behavior of landowners. Often linking these two strategies in a coherent way is a challenge. On the one hand, local authorities are empowered by the law to plan for conservation, but they are not well equipped to do so (lack of capacity, expertise, political will). On the other hand, many small conservation NGOs are active at the micro level with little concern for supra-local considerations.Focusing on an important private conservation effort in Southern Quebec, this article seeks to better understand land-owning organizations’ position toward land use planning. It shows how conservation NGOs, which rely on property rights to influence land use, position themselves within the broader regulatory context and attempt to coordinate their action at a regional scale in order to complement their acquisition strategy.     

Physical safety and multiple land use

Multiple land use brings with it several safety risks when buildings are developed above or nearby transport routes of hazardous materials. To reduce these risks several measures can be implemented in multiple land-use projects for both the construction and the exploitation stage. These measures will reduce either the probability and/or the consequences of an incident, but also influence the potential to develop those projects in their design and layout. This paper gives an analysis of physical and spatial safety for both the construction and exploitation stages in multiple land-use projects, and gives an overview of the spatial implications for these projects.     

Urbanization process and land use policy

Within a framework of NEG model, this paper intends to show that urbanization rate is determined as a synthetic result of rational behavior of each socio-economic agent. In particular, a model is constructed with bearing in mind to explain the urbanization process in China such that the role of government in managing land use is explicitly incorporated and policy effects can be evaluated. Some results of theoretical analysis and numerical simulation analysis are contrasted with the ones of Fujita-Krugman (Reg Sci Urban Econ 25: 505–528, 1995) incorporating land into a NEG model as well.     

Vegetation and land use change in north-eastern Ireland

A survey of the vegetation of south County Antrim, UK, originally carried out in 1982, was repeated in 1992, in order to assess the impact of recent changes in the intensity of agricultural land use. Botanical composition was recorded in 200 randomly placed quadrats (200 m²), of which 157 were on non-arable agricultural land in both sampled years. Land management information relating to these quadrats was collected in 1992.Changes in composition were observed across the range of plant communities sampled, but were greatest in the more species-rich grasslands. Agriculturally preferred competitive species replaced species characteristic of less intensively managed grassland by seed dispersal and plant establishment, rather than by artificial reseeding. Higher elevation (over 200 m) enclosed fields and unenclosed grassland patches in the uplands experienced the greatest net change in composition. Increased grazing intensities, fertiliser usage, the absence of major physical constraints to land use, and recent changes in land ownership were factors associated with agriculturally beneficial changes in botanical composition.     

Welsh Water's Partnership Approach to Beating the Drought in North Wales

This paper describes how Dwr Cymru – Welsh Water managed the drought of 1995–1996 in North Wales without restricting supplies to customers. The summer of 1995 experienced a major increase in the demand for water which, when combined with thirteen months of below-average rainfall, meant that resources had to be skilfully managed, using control rules and minimizing leakage on the network. The subsequent winter replenishment of the resources was critical and, with over thirty scattered resources supplying North Wales, a variety of solutions had to be employed. A key to the successful implementation of the chosen solutions was the partnership approach adopted with interested parties such as angling clubs and the Environment Agency.
The paper outlines a variety of differing solutions which were adopted and identifies the role of partnership.     

Environmental Performance Indicators: The Water Industry of England and Wales

Water companies in England and Wales produce reports using environmental performance indicators which have been developed in-house. However, there is no recognised methodology for the development of these indicators, and an analysis of available guidance led to the proposal of an appropriate model. This model was tested by semi-structured interviews of water-company managers, and a questionnaire was completed by managers from other industries. The responses from the interviews supported the inclusive, quality-driven approach advocated by the model, and indicated a need to examine (a) the style of management, (b) the staffing structure in water companies, (c) the connection between environmental management systems and indicator development, (d) types of objectives and targets, and (e) the use of indicators as public-relations tools. The result is a methodology for indicator development which can be applied by managers in industry.     

Temporal variations in dissolved organic carbon concentrations in upland and lowland lakes in North Wales

Over a period of 18 months, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration of a series of four lakes in North Wales was measured monthly. The lake catchment profiles consisted of an upland thin peat/soil (Llyn Cwellyn), an upland thin peat/soil associated with an adjacent area of small bog (Llyn Teyrn), an upland blanket bog (Llyn Conwy), and large lowland fen and fertile agricultural area (Llyn Cefni). The results examine the indirect effect of temperature and precipitation on the DOC concentrations found in the lakes fed by the catchments. The lowest DOC of the four sites was observed for Llyn Teyrn, varying from 1.2 to 3.30 mg/L, and with the highest being recorded for Llyn Cefni (5.45–10.83 mg/L). Temperature and rainfall data were both collected. Correlations with the DOC exhibited significant relationships with temperature for three of the sampled lakes Cwellyn (r 0.490), Teyrn (r 0.640) and Cefni (r 0.472). Recomputation versus 30‐ and 60‐day temperature lag times improved the correlation coefficients. The data showed weak and insignificant correlations for DOC versus rainfall for the three lakes, but the upland lake, Llyn Conwy, with its blanket bog catchment, did not demonstrate any statistical correlation with temperature, although it did show a significant correlation for DOC versus rainfall (r 0.553, P < 0.05). Over the sampling period, although tentative relationships were found among temperature, rainfall and DOC levels, an indirect association tempered by site hydrology is suggested.     

Location choice and land use in an isolated state

The purpose of this study is to develop an urban model describing an economic dynamics of three parts — the CBD, the residential area and the agricultural area — in an isolated urban system. The system consists of three — agricultural, industrial, and service — sectors. The model describes dynamic interactions among capital and knowledge accumulation with endogenous urban structure. The model may be considered, in a broad sense, as a synthesis of new urban economics (Alonso's model), urban economic growth theory with endogenous knowledge and Thünen's economic system. We show that the urban dynamics may have either a unique or multiple equilibria and may be either stable or unstable, depending upon creativity of various economic activities. We also examine effects of changes in some parameters upon the long-run urban structure.     

浅议城市土地的有效开发与控制

通过对当今城市土地利用与开发的探讨,分析了太原市长风文化商务区控规对城市土地的开发与控制,充分体现了城市土地的“紧凑集约”利用原则。     

Differential assessment and state land use controls in Hawaii

Discussion of Hawaii's experience suggests both advantages and difficulties in establishing complementary relationships between differential agricultural assessment and statewide land use controls. In Hawaii, as elsewhere, differential assessment was guided by traditional rent theory with valuations increasing progressively with higher quality lands. Actual practice indicated conservation purposes were better served by a more regressive structure. This suggests a restructuring of assessment rates for states which continue to rely on this method for farmlands preservation purposes, assuming distributional equity issues are dealt with.Mr. Okimoto is presently economist with the Hawaii State Department of Transportation, USA.     

城市用地分类与建设用地标准修编原则初探

介绍了91版《分类与标准》编制时的社会背景及编制过程,并对其主要内容进行了分析,阐述了91版《分类与标准》在解决“分类”问题和解决“指标”问题时存在的问题,得出对其进行深化与完善的基本原则。